Folding wagon-body



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. M. GORE. FOLDING WAGON BODY.

N0. 604,730. Patented May 31,1898.

WHIJQSSZS (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. M. CORE. FOLDING WAGON BODY.

m: Nonms PE'rEns co, PHOTQ-LIVTHOH WASHINGTON, o c.

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GEORGE MACON CORE, OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.

FULDHNG WAGON BODY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,730, dated May 31 1898. Application filed October 9, 1897. flerial No. 654,685. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE MACON CORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Folding Wagon-Body, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in folding wagon-bodies.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of folding wagonbodies and to provide a simple, strong, and inexpensive one which will enable a person to mount it upon and remove it from a running-gear without the assistance of others.

The invention consists in the construction and novelcombination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wagon-body constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 4. is a sec tional view on line 4: 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the adjustable hook-bolts.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

1 designates a wagon-body provided with a bottom 2, composed of two longitudinal sections 3 and provided with transverse cleats 4, projecting beyond the sides of the wagon-body and divided centrally to agree with the sections 3 of the bottom 2. The bottom of the body when the sides and ends are removed is adapted to break at the center and fold, and the sections are connected by hinges 5, which have their leaves bolted or otherwise secured to the lower faces of the cleats 4.

The wagon-body is engaged with the rear bolster of a running-gear by substantially V- shaped irons 6, arranged inpairs at opposite sides of the bottom 2 and presenting straight vertical sides to the bolster.

The bottom 2 of the wagon-body is provided adjacent to its side edges with openings or sockets '7, adapted to be engaged by the lower projecting ends of metal bars or strips 8, arranged vertically on the inner faces of sides 9 of the wagon-body and secured to the same.

The lower projecting portions 10 of the metal bars or strips 8 are rounded to form pins for engaging the openings or sockets 7, and the bottom of the wagon-body is reinforced at the said openings or sockets 7 by metal plates 11, secured to the upper face of the bottom 2 and extended along the upper faces of the projecting ends of the bottom cleats 4.

The sides of the wagon-body are supported and locked against upward movement by inclined braces 12 and 13, located at the ends and center of the sides and connected with the outer or projecting portions of the bottom cleats 4:- Each end brace 12 consists of a rod provided at its upper end with an eye which is linked into an eyebolt 14, passing through the side 9 near the upper edge thereof, the side being reinforced by a plate 15, secured to its outer face and arranged opposite the adjacent strip or guard 8. The lower end of the inclined brace 12 is bent in the form of a hook 16 and is engaged with an adjustable hook-bolt 17, which passes through the end bottom cleat 4 and which has its hook located above the same. The shank of the hook-bolt 17 receives a nut 18, arranged to engage the lower face of the cleat 4: and adapted to draw the hook-bolt downward for straining the bracing-rod 12 to the desired tension. The lower end of the shank of the hook-bolt 17 is provided with a stop pin or key 19 to prevent the nut from being removed and becoming lost when taking the wagonbody to pieces, and the projecting portions of theend bottom piece 1 are reinforced by metal sleeves 20. \Vhen it is desired to release the brace 12, the nut 18 is unscrewed sufticiently to permit the hooks of the brace and the bolt to be disengaged.

The center brace 13 is provided at its upper end with an eye or hook 21, which engages a central eye 22 of a link-rod 23,which has its ends provided with eyes and linked into bolts 24:. The bolts 24: pass through the intermediate bars or strips 8, which are arranged to correspond with the middle bottom cleats 4 of the wagon-body, and the sides 9 are reinforced at this point by rectangular plates or frames 25, secured to the outer faces of the sides, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The lower end of the brace 13 is provided with a hook-bolt 26, which passes through a connecting-piece 27, secured to the upper faces of the middle cleats 4 and forming a side step. The hookbolt 26 is constructed similar to the hookbolts 17, before described, and the connecting-piece is reinforced at its upper face by a plate and is supported at its bottom by an upwardly-bowed strip or plate 28, secured at its ends to the lower faces of the middle bottom cleats 4.

The sides of the wagon-body are provided at their ends with vertical cleats 29, secured to the inner faces of the sides, arranged in pairs and receiving end gates 30, which are retained in the ways formed by the cleats 29 by transverse connections between the sides. The transverse connections between the sides are located at both ends of the wagon-body and consist of rods 31, detachably interlocked at their inner ends and connected at their outer ends with the sides of the wagon-body by eyebolts 32. The innerends'of the rods are provided with hooks 33, which engage each other, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the outer ends of the rods are provided with eyes which are linked into the eyebolts 32. The eyebolts 32 pass through the sides and the outer cleats 29 and are provided with nuts,one of the nuts beingprovided with a handle 34, and the side having the handle 34 operating against it is reinforced by a suitable wear-plate. When it is desired to remove an end-gate, the transverse connection between the sides is loosened sufliciently to disengage the hooks 33, it being unnecessary to detach either rod 31 from its side of the wagon-body.

A top box is mounted upon the wagon-body and is composed of side pieces 35 andends 36, which are arranged in ways formed by cleats 37, the ends being secured in the Ways by transverse connections 38 similar to those heretofore described. The side pieces 35 are provided with depending cleats or bars 39, which fit in alined staples or loops 40, secured to the outer faces of the sides of the wagonbody, and the said side pieces 35 are centrally supported by a transverse connection 41, constructed similar to those before described. When the top box is not employed, the transverse connection 41 may be employed for supporting the sides 9, which are .provided with centrally-arranged perforations 42, located adjacent to their upper edges.

The invention has the following advantages: The wagon-body is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, and

as the sides and ends of the body and top box are detachably connected and the bottom-is foldable it may be readily removed from and mounted on a running-gear by one person without difficulty. In removing the bottom of the body from a running-gear it is lifted at the center, which operates both to remove and fold it. The transverse connections between the sides of the body are detachably interlocked at the center and simply require sufficient loosening to enable them to be detached at that point, and they do not have to be removed from the wagon-body.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

What I claim is 1. In a wagon-body, the combination of a folding bottom, sides detachably mounted on the bottom, the substantially horizontal linkrods mounted on the outer faces of the sides of the wagon-body, the inclined braces provided at their upper ends with hooks detachably engaging the horizontal link-rods, said braces being adjustably connected at their lower ends with the bottom of the wagon-body, the transverse rods provided at their inner ends with interlocking hooks and extending across the wagon-body, and means for adjustably and hingedly connecting the outer ends of the transverse rods with the sides of the wagonbody, said means serving to hold the hooks in engagement with each other and adapted to loosen the transverse rodsv to enable the hooks to be disengaged without disconnecting the transverse rods from the sides of the wagon-body, substantially as described.

2. In a Wagon-body, the combination of a bottom, sides detachably mounted on the bottom ends, the substantially horizontal linkrods hinged at their ends to the sides of the wagon-body near the upper edges thereof, and provided with central eyes, and inclined braces provided at their upper ends with hooks detachably engaging the central eyes of the link-rods, said braces being adj ustably connected at their lower ends with the bottom of the wagon-body, substantially as described.

3. In a Wagon-body, the combination of a bottom, a detachable side, cleats secured to the bottom and extending therefrom, a connecting-piece secured to the cleats, an adjustable eyebolt mounted on the connectingpiece, a substantially horizontal link rod hinged at its ends to the sides of the wagonbody at the upper edge thereof and provided with a central eye and a brace havingahook at its lower end to engage the eyebolt, and provided at its upper end with an eye linked into that of the link-rod, substantially as described.

4. In a wagon-body, the combination of a bottom, middle cleats secured to the bottom and extending therefrom, aconnecting-piece mounted on the cleats, the wagon-body side provided on its inner face with metal strips or bars having depending lower portions interlocked with the bottom of the body, a reinforcing plate or frame secured to the outer face of the side and arranged opposite the metal bars or strips, eyebolts passing through the side portions of the plate or frame, the side of the wagon-body and the metal strips or bars, the curved link-bar havinga central eye and provided at its ends with eyes linked In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 11 into the eyebolts, an inclined brace provided my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in 10 at its lower end with a hook and having; an the presence of two Witnesses.

eye at its upper end linked into the central T v 5 eye of the link-bar, and an adjusting-bolt GEORGE MACOB mounted on the said connecting-piece and Witnesses: having an eye to receive the said hook, sub- THOS. F. "WITTERS,

stantially as described. CAREY "W. BUTT. 

